A Sense of Light Ease

　　一種輕安的感覺

　　When you investigate the meditation topic, “Who is mindful of the Buddha

　　” to the ultimate point, eventually you will become enlightened. Enlightenment is understanding what you did not understand and knowing what you did not know in the past. Before realizing enlightenment, you should harbor doubt. It is said, “Great doubt results in great enlightenment, and small doubt results in small enlightenment.” Enlightenment also means to understand principle. It is not really a special state. There are the first dhyana, the second dhyana, the third dhyana and the fourth dhyana stages in Chan meditation. In the first dhyana, there is this feeling of light ease. You will feel comfortable, free, and benefited. This kind of comfort is called bliss in the Dharma. You will experience the state of blissfulness. You will not feel hungry even if you do not eat, nor tired if you do not sleep, nor cold if you are not wearing enough clothes. It will be as there is no self when sitting, and no self when walking. One does not know where one”s “self” is. This feeling of light ease is the beginning of cultivation. After this state, you will enter the samadhi of the first dhyana; it is like your self is empty and you feel that your pulse has stopped.

　　你參話頭「念佛是誰」，參到極點，就會豁然開悟。開悟，是明白以前所不明白的事，以前所不知道的現在都知道了。在開悟之前，要有疑情；這個疑情一生出來，大疑就有大悟，小疑就有小悟。所以開悟就是明白道理，並不是什麼一個很特別的境界。坐禅有初禅、有二禅、有叁禅，有四禅。初禅之前，先有一種輕安的境界；這種輕安是覺得身上很舒服、很自在、很受用的，這種舒服自在，叫做「法喜」。你得到法喜充滿的境界，你不吃也不餓，不睡也不困，甚至于你不穿衣服也不冷；人坐著好像是沒有自己似的，走路也好像沒有自己似的，不知自己在什麼地方，這就是修行開始的一種輕安的感覺。在輕安的境界以後，就會入初禅的定；那時候自己像空了似的，覺得脈搏也停了。